Porn & Internet Sex Addiction

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Porn & Internet Sex Addiction

The use of online pornography and other forms of Internet sex can be powerful accelerants to further self-destructive behaviors. Viewing online porn, using GPS hook-up apps, excessive chatting, or “sexting” produces chemical changes in the brain, much in the same way that using drugs like cocaine does. When engaged in the various forms of cyber-sex, a powerful cocktail of endorphins and neurochemicals such as dopamine, norepinephrine, oxytocin, and serotonin surge through the brain. This affects the addict’s judgment and actions and can lead to dangerous, unhealthy risk-taking behaviors. Depending on an addict’s age, excessive viewing of online pornography can lead to long-term structural changes in the brain’s neural pathways.

What started as a desire to spend a few minutes watching online porn or chatting on a hook-up site can turn into hours seeking sex in compromising or exploitive ways. This escalation can lead to behaviors an addict has never engaged in or even knew existed. Online sex is one of the leading causes of sex addiction relapse.

If you are concerned that you meet the criteria for porn or Internet sex addiction, you can take the following online assessment: Internet Sex Screening Test.